Tampa Bay metro area stands out for construction employment

Sep 27, 2017

Though not always receiving the attention of Orlando or Miami, the Tampa Bay metropolitan area constitutes a valuable part of Florida's economy. Recent reporting by the Tampa Bay Times found that, in conjunction with sector growth around the state, Tampa created a significant number of new positions in construction this past year.

Of the 274 metro areas that saw upticks in construction employment between August 2016 and August 2017, Tampa came in fifth place. City businesses in this field added 7,400 jobs during the last year, which constituted a 10 percent increase.

Brian Turmail, a spokesperson for the Associated General Contractors of America, did state that better job preparation would be necessary in order for the construction sector to reach truly remarkable heights, in Florida as well as throughout the country.

He recommended construction-centric trade and charter schools - along with greater funding to operate them - as a corrective measure to what he described as "[a lack of] public investments in career and technical education."

Hesitance on Turmail's part and that of similarly opinioned individuals is understandable. While the AGC celebrated the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics findings indicating a notable upswing in construction employment, that increase came after five consecutive stagnant months. Industry leaders likely look forward to the next BLS Employment Situation Summary in the hopes of seeing sustained growth.